Reinforced shipping-can



(No Model.)

P. WESTERBEUK. REINFORCED SHIPPING CAN.

No. 485,119. Patented 0013. 25, 1892.

UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

FREDERICK WESTERBEOK, OF ST. LOUIS, MISSOURI.

REINFORCED SHIPPING-CAN.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 485,119, dated October 25, 1892.

Application filed June 30, 1892. Serial No. 438,565. (No model.)

To all whom it may concern.-

Be it known that I, FREDERICK WESTER BECK, of the city of St. Louis,in the State of Missouri, have invented a certain new and useful Improvement in Reinforced Shipping- Oans, of which the following is a full, clear, and exact description, reference being had to the accompanying drawings, forming part of this specification.

This invention relates to a sheet-metal shipping-can which has reinforce wooden drum sides with second reinforce wooden brace and top hoops and a reinforce Wooden bottom with a wooden flanged top that inlays and surmounts the structure, and the said inner metal can having soldered to its outside metal straps, the out ends of which project, respectively, from the base and from the top, the bottom projecting straps, of which there are preferably three, being bent around outward beneath the wooden drum and base-hoop, and their perforate attachment ends are respectively secured by the heads of the long nails that are seated in said base-hoops,drum, and wooden bottom, and the preferably like number of metal top straps pass up through slots in the wooden cover and their perforate ends are bent around inward over on top of said cover, to which they are secured by tacks, thus by said reinforce-casing and said reinforcestraps making a double reinforce for the sheltered shipping-can that both protects said can by its incasement and securely holds it within the same.

Figure I is a perspective view of the reinforce-casing of the can and shows the strap attachment to said casing. Fig. II is a top view of the same. Fig. III is a bottom view thereof. Fig. IV is a vertical section taken on line IV IV, Fig. II, and shows the inclosed can within its reinforce-case, the said can secured by its anchor-straps to said case. Fig. V is an enlarged vertical detail section taken on line V VI, Fig. II, and shows the can within its reinforce-case with one of its perforate anchor-straps ascending through its slotway in the lid previous to its being bent over said lid; and Fig. V1 is an enlarged detail section taken on line VVI, Fig. II, and is a like view to Fig. V, with one of said perforate anchorstraps bent down, in its operative position,

over the lid and its anchor -tack inserted therein.

Referring to the drawings, 1 represents the metal can, which is preferably made of tin, but may be of any other suitable metal, such as galvanized iron.

2 represent metal anchor-straps that are soldered to the sides 3 of said can near its base, and 4 are perforate projecting ends of said straps, that extend beyond the bottom 5 of the can. In medium-sized cans there are preferably three of said anchor-straps on the bottom of the can, which number may be reduced to two in small cans and increased to four or more in larger cans.

6 represent like metal anchor-straps that are soldered to the side of the metal can near its top, and 7 are perforate projecting ends of said straps, which extend-above the top rim of said can. There are preferably the same number of said anchor-straps at top as at bottom of said can.

8 represents a wide wooden drum reinforcecase, the said case being of somewhat greater depth than that of the metal can to afford inclosure for the circular reinforce wooden bot tom 9 and to provideafoot-chine 10, on which said can and its reinforce-case stand in shipping and storage.

11 represents the foot-hoop that surrounds the drum reinforce-case at its base, and 12 is a head-hoop that surrounds said drum-case at top. The said hoops constitute a still further reinforce to the can and its package. The said hoops are preferably made of wood; but

may be of metal when contingencies make the use of the latter material preferable.

13 represents the circular wooden lid or top, the peripheral expansion-rin1 let of which surmounts the reinforce drum-case 8 and the head-hoop 12, and the circular pendent center stopper 15 of said lid extends downward within the top of the metal can and fits snugly therein, so as to make a tight joint.

16 represents slots in the rim 14: of the lid. There are the same number of said slots as there are anchor-straps that project above the top of the can, and the slots are individually fully of as wide a diameter as the anchorstraps.

17 represents anchor-nails that pass through the perforations of the bottom anchor-straps 2 after said straps have been bent outward round the drum-case and hoop and effect a clutch-hold, and said nails pass through the hoop 11, the reinforce drum-case 8, and into the reinforce-bottom 5, the enlarged heads of said nails holding the anchor-strap securely to its bed.

18 represents nails that pass through the lower hoop and the drum case and into the reinforce-bottom at half-way or intervening drum constructed as shown and described,

the metal can is inserted in said reinforce drum-case with its anchor-straps projecting beyond the drum at both bottom and top.

The top of said metal can is about flush with the top of the drum-case; but the bottom of said metal can lacks sufficiently of reaching to the bottom of said reinforce wooden drumcase 8 to provide room for the insertion of the reinforce wooden bottom 9 within said drum-case in contact with the bottom of the metal can and leaves beneath said wooden reinforce-bottom sufficient marginal room in the drum-case to form the foot-chine 10. The said reinforce-bottom is then inserted in its place and the then-proj ecting ends of the lower metal anchor-straps 2 are bent outward and around the bottom chine of the reinforce drum-case and of the bottom hoop, and the perforate ends 4 of said straps are bent upward and the nails 17 are driven home through the respective perforations in said anchor-straps, through the lower hoop, through the reinforce drum-case, and into the reinforce-bottom. The nails 18 are also inserted inintervening positions through said hoop, drum-case, and into said bottom, so that said reinforce wooden bottom is securely fastened to the reinforcecase, and the metal can to said bottom. (See Figs. I, III, and IV.) The can is then in condition for filling preparatory to shipping. After filling the can with the material to be shipped or preserved the lid 13 is placed in position, the upwardly-projecting ends of the top anchor-straps 6 being passed through the slots 16 in said lid, as shown in Fig. V, and the perforate projecting ends 7 of said anchorstraps are then bent down inward on top of the lid and the nails or tacks 19 are driven home through the perforations in said straps and into the lid. (See Figs. I, II, IV, and VI.) It will be seen in Figs. IV, V, and VI that the downwardly-projecting pendent center stopper 15 of the lid fits tightly within the top rim of the can, so as to effect a tight closure to the same. WVhen, however, the cans before filling are required to be shipped from the can-factory to the canning-factory or to any other place where they are to be filled, the lid is preferably placed in position and fastened before shipping the empty cans to the canning-factory, so as both to keep the cans clean and their lids and anchor-straps in place and secured from injury. If after the first shipment of the cans and they have been emptied, the lids being replaced, the reinforce shipping-can can be returned and is well preserved from dust and damage, ready for future use and for reshipment.

In conclusion, it will be seen that the metal can is thoroughly reinforced by the wooden drum, the hoops, the wooden bottom, and the wooden top, so that it is impossible for said metal can to be bruised or damaged, and the bottom anchor-straps, which are secured to the sides of the can, are bent outward around the bottom hoop and drum-case, and there anchored by some of the nails that fasten the reinforce-bottom in its seat, thus firmly anchoring said can to its reinforce-case, and when shipping the wooden lid is also as securely anchored; also, it will be seen that one of the important elements of my reinforce-can is its direct anchorage of the metal can to its reinforce drum-case by means of the outwardly and upwardly bent clutch-hooks 4 of the anchor-straps 2, which anchor-straps are soldered or otherwise secured to the outside of said metal can, and said clutch-hooks are still further fastened and fasten the metal can to the reinforce-can by the nails 17, that pass through said clutch-hook, said base hoop, said reinforce drum-case, and into said wooden bottom. This construction avoids all possibility of the recurrence of the oft-repeated accident where the heavily-laden cans (which often carry one hundred pounds or more) are anchored to the wooden bottom and said bottom nailed to the reinforce drum-case. When roughly handled in shipping, said wooden bottom frequently splits at the line of puncture of the nails by the pressure of the heavily-laden can, as it is roughly handled by trainhands, so that the can slips out of its reinforce drum-case. Now it will be seen that the clutch-hooks of my anchor-straps 2, as they are firmly hooked to the reinforce drum-case itself, (and not to the bottom,which maybe torn out with the metal can,) the can in my device, although it may in large cans be laden with two or three hundred pounds of putty or other heavy filling, cannot be precipitated from the reinforce drum-case in which it is housed.

I claim as my invention 1. In a reinforce shipping-can, the combination of the metal can 1, the wooden reinforce drum-case 8, the wooden reinforce-bottom 9, the wooden reinforce base-hoop 11 and top hoop 12, and the top 13, the said top having peripheral expansion-rim 14, that surmounts both said drum-case and head-hoop and having the projecting pendent stopper 15, that constitutes a tight stopper for the metal can, and an internal reinforce to said can and drum-case, substantially as described.

2. In a reinforce shipping can, the combination of the metal can 1, the perforate anchor-straps 2 and 6, respectively secured to near the bottom and top of the side of said can,the reinforce drum-case 8, bottom 0, and hoops 11 and 12, the top 13, having the peripheral expansion-rim 14, provided with the slots 16, the said anchor-straps 2, passing around the lower edge of said drum-case 8 and hoop 11, the nails 17, that anchor said straps to said hoop, drunrcase, and bottom, and the said anchor-straps 6, that pass upward through said slots 16 in the lid and are bent around on the top of said lid, and the nails by which said straps are anchored to said lid, substantially as described.

3. In a reinforce shipping-can, the combination of the metal can 1, the bottom perforate anchor-straps 2, secured to said can, the top perforate anchor-straps 6, also secured to said can, the reinforce drum-case 8, the reinforce-hoops 11 and 12, the reinforcebottom 9, the reinforce-lid 13, the said lid having the pendent center stopper 15, and the rim of said lid provided with the slots 16, the said anchorstraps 2 being bent outward around the bottom of said rein force drum-case and said hoop 11, so as to effect a clutch-hold thereof, and the anchor-nails 17, that secure said straps 2 and said metal can to said reinforce-hoop 11, drum-case S, and bottom 9, the perforate projecting ends of said straps 6 being passed up through said slots 16 in the lid and bent around on top of said lids, and the nails 19,

that secure said straps to said lid, substan- 

